Isa 54:1-17
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Contents
Summary
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Discussion
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- Isa 54:1: Desolate. "Desolate" Heb. shomamah, means desolate or deserted, usually used of land (cf. Isa 49:8). Here the sense is that of an "abandoned" wife.
- Isa 54:2: Enlarge. "Enlarge" (the place of thy tent) is in the second person feminine tense because it is addressed to the barren wife introduced in verse 1. The manual labor of tent preparation fell to the women, who were especially skilled at carding, spinning and weaving the goat hair into tent cloth. See Ex 35:26.
- Isa 54:2: Curtains. "Curtains," Heb. yeri'ah, from a root what means to quiver, usually translated as curtain(s), here refers to the tent covering.
- Isa 54:4: Confounded. "Confounded" in English usually means to be confused or perplexed. Occasionally, it refers to being ashamed or abashed, which corresponds closer to the Hebrew word used here, which means to be humiliated, ashamed, or dishonored. "Confounded" is still a good translation. However the parallel with "Fear not" assumes a meaning of "humiliated" or "disconcerted," rather than "confused."
- Isa 54:16: Joseph Smith. This verse seems to be prophetically speaking of Joseph Smith. According to this reading, the smith is understood to refer to Joseph Smith, the coals in the fire are taken to be the Urim and Thummim, and the instrument for his work is understood to be the Book of Mormon. It might be objected that in the context of the surrounding text, these parallels are no more than a coincidence. Note though that Jewish exegesis gives a similar reading in terms of an unnamed "interpreter of the law," (see related links). This shows that such a reading might be understood simply from reading the text closely--even if unfamiliar with the events of Joseph Smith's life.
- Isa 54:16: Ancient Jewish interpretation. To understand one ancient Jewish interpretation of this verse see The Dead Sea Scrolls: A New Translation by Michael Wise, Martin Abegg and Edward Cook, p. 57 for a translation of the scroll Geniza A, Col. 6, lines 1-11(esp. 8))
Unanswered questions
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Prompts for life application
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Prompts for further study
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Resources
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- Isa 54:16: Ancient Jewish interpretation. To understand one ancient Jewish interpretation of this verse see The Dead Sea Scrolls: A New Translation by Michael Wise, Martin Abegg and Edward Cook, p. 57 for a translation of the scroll Geniza A, Col. 6, lines 1-11(esp. 8))
Notes
Footnotes are not required but are encouraged for factual assertions that average readers cannot easily evaluate for themselves (such as the date of King Solomon’s death or the nuanced definition of a Greek word). In contrast, insights rarely benefit from footnoting, and the focus of this page should always remain on the scriptures themselves rather than what someone has said about them. Links are actively encouraged on all sections of this page, and links to authoritative sources (such as Strong's Bible Concordance or the Joseph Smith Papers) are preferable to footnotes.
